Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo Tent Assessment

The Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo is revered within the ultralight backpacking world for its palace-like spaciousness, low weight, and inexpensive price ticket.

We have been first intrigued by the Lunar Duo over a decade in the past after we noticed it whereas thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Path. Since then, we’ve pitched it a whole bunch of instances on journeys all through the Rockies and everywhere in the Pacific Northwest. Learn on to see how the Duo stacks up in opposition to dozens of different backpacking tent designs we’ve examined through the years.

Fast Specs

MSRP: $395

LISTED WEIGHT: 2 lbs. 13 oz.

MEASURED WEIGHT: 2 lbs. 14.4 oz.

DIMENSIONS (LxWxH): 90 x 54 x 45 in.

Professionals

EXCEPTIONALLY SPACIOUS – One of many standout attributes of the Lunar Duo is its exceptionally spacious inside. With a 45-inch peak top that’s well-distributed by the arched forehead poles, a 7 ½-foot size, and beneficiant 54-inch width (large enough for 2 broad sleeping pads), this tent is roomier than most 2-person tents by a good quantity. So, if you happen to’re tall or need loads of elbow room to make sharing area with a associate extra snug, this can be the proper tent for you.

AFFORDABLE – With an MSRP lower than $400, the Lunar Duo is among the many least costly ultralight backpacking tents available on the market. Comparable tents from massive manufacturers and cottage corporations typically retail for $100-400 extra. We’ve gotten a ton of use out of our Lunar Duo and it’s nonetheless going sturdy after 1000’s of miles on robust trails. For sure, we predict it’s a superb worth, and also you’ll be hard-pressed to discover a lighter and extra snug tent for the cash.

The Lunar Duo is obtainable in an Explorer mannequin ($395, 45 oz.) in addition to an Clothing store mannequin ($210, 57 oz.). We’re keen on the Explorer mannequin for the burden and bulk financial savings, and we predict it’s price the additional value over the long term. That mentioned, we’ve used each fashions extensively and we predict they’re each wonderful backpacking tents.

ULTRALIGHT – The Lunar Duo weighs 2 lbs. 13 oz. (45 oz.), which could be very gentle for a 2-person 2-door tent – particularly one with this a lot inside area. This weight doesn’t embody tent stakes or poles, although, so remember to take that into consideration when evaluating it to freestanding or semi-freestanding tents.

The Lunar Duo is ultralight, but it surely isn’t the lightest or most compact tent on the market. For those who’re actually critical about minimizing pack weight, chances are you’ll wish to think about even lighter choices. We’ll contact on this a bit extra later.

EXCELLENT VENTILATION – There are hooded vents on the high of every door within the Lunar Duo’s rainfly, in addition to loads of airflow across the whole decrease perimeter. The cover is floating, so it’s also possible to increase or decrease it to regulate how a lot of a spot you need between the underside of the fly and the bottom.

In clear circumstances, the Duo’s vestibules might be rolled again fully for broad views and a cross breeze. Hooks on the guylines mean you can safe one, each, or no sides of the vestibules. This design offers you lots of management over your tent’s air flow, and lets you shortly adapt to altering climate circumstances.

TWO DOORS & XL VESTIBULES – Two doorways and vestibules are virtually important in our guide, particularly when touring as a pair. The Lunar Duo has a big door on all sides, so there’s no ready in line to get out of the climate or crawling over your associate when nature calls at night time.

There’s additionally loads of room within the outsized vestibules for hikers to retailer and entry their gear. Actually, the vestibules on the Duo are among the largest we’ve seen on a backpacking tent.

DURABLE – The Lunar Duo is among the few ultralight backpacking tents available on the market made with 30-denier ground and cover materials. Thicker particular person threads within the cloth make this tent more durable than lots of backpacking tents which are sometimes constructed with 20, 15, and even 10-denier materials to avoid wasting weight.

That’s nice information for hikers with canine or anybody who desires to be a bit extra carefree with their gear. Because the ground is 30D, we often don’t really feel the necessity to use a footprint to guard this tent, which retains extra weight and bulk out of our packs.

EXCELLENT WEATHER PROTECTION – We’ve waited out numerous downpours and hailstorms within the notoriously stormy Rocky Mountains within the Lunar Duo, and it’s at all times performed a superb job of retaining us snug and dry. As soon as it’s seam sealed (extra on that under), the silnylon rainfly is absolutely waterproof and reliable in even the harshest summer time storms.

The Lunar Duo is non-freestanding, so it’s important to pitch it taught, ensuring the stakes have good buy and also you’re utilizing all of the guyout factors when excessive winds are anticipated. We’ve been by some extraordinarily turbulent winds on this tent, and although the expertise wasn’t fully stress-free, it gave us full confidence within the Lunar Duo for climate safety.

FULL INSECT PROTECTION – In contrast to some ultralight tarp shelters, the Duo is absolutely enclosed to maintain bugs and critters at bay. It has a built-in bathtub ground and an connected mesh interior tent that zips shut, so you possibly can relaxation straightforward realizing you aren’t going to get up with a spider in your face. A single-wall tent just like the Lunar Duo is an efficient completely happy medium for individuals who need their shelter to be gentle, but additionally bug-free.

RE-TENSIONABLE FROM INSIDE – One other function that makes the Lunar Duo distinctive is that the principle guylines might be re-tensioned from contained in the tent. This is available in actually helpful – particularly when it rains – as a result of silnylon tends to sag when chilly and moist, leaving you with a floppy shelter blowing within the wind. With the Duo, you possibly can re-tighten your guylines with out having to get out of your sleeping bag.

Cons

HEAVIER THAN SOME – The Lunar Duo (45 oz.) could be very light-weight, but it surely’s considerably heavier than among the lightest ultralight non-freestanding tents. You might save 1-2 kilos by selecting a tent just like the Zpacks Duplex (18.5 oz.), Triplex (21.6 oz.), or HMG Unbound 2 (24 oz.). These tents are all made with Dyneema Composite Cloth (DCF) although, which nearly doubles the associated fee. If saving weight is a high precedence for you, it could possibly be properly definitely worth the funding to purchase one among these top-of-the-line ultralight tents. For those who’d reasonably carry a bit of extra weight and save a bunch of cash, the Lunar Duo is a wonderful alternative.

The Gossamer Gear The Two ($320) is a stable choice for ultralight backpackers on a funds. It prices lower than the Lunar Duo, and it’s fairly a bit lighter at 23.5 oz., but it surely’s made with skinny 10-denier cloth and isn’t almost as roomy because the Duo. One other funds choice for ultralight backpackers is the SMD Haven ($375). It weighs 38.1 oz., so it’s a bit of lighter than the Lunar Duo, and it comes with a tarp and interior web that can be utilized collectively or individually. It’s not as spacious, but it surely’s a very good different for hikers that need the flexibility of a tarp for quick and lightweight journeys.

STAKES & POLES NOT INCLUDED – Tent stakes and poles usually are not included with the Lunar Duo, so that you’ll want to contemplate the added value and weight of those to finish your setup. Most hikers use a pair of adjustable trekking poles to assist the Lunar Duo. For those who don’t use trekking poles, you’ll must pack two carbon fiber poles ($40, 1.8 oz. every) or aluminum tent poles ($15, 3 oz. every) to pitch this tent.

We virtually at all times use eight tent stakes to pitch the Lunar Duo; 4 for the corners, two for the vestibules, and one every on the head and foot of the tent. It’s important to decide on stakes with stable holding energy for this tent. These All One Tech Aluminum Stakes are inexpensive and have labored properly for us in most terrain.

NOT FACTORY SEAM-SEALED – The Lunar Duo must be seam sealed to be absolutely waterproof, and we predict it’s a bit unlucky that it doesn’t robotically come that manner. You’ll be able to pay Six Moon Designs $35 for his or her seam sealing service, or you are able to do it your self with a product like Seam Grip. For those who like DIY tasks, seam sealing isn’t too unhealthy to do your self, however we usually advocate paying for the producer to seam seal so your tent can be able to go when it arrives.

LEARNING CURVE TO PITCH – There’s a little bit of a studying curve to establishing a non-freestanding tent just like the Lunar Duo. We advocate following SMD’s Lunar Duo Setup Directions and practising earlier than your first journey to learn to get the pole top and spacing excellent. After a pair follow pitches, it’ll solely take you 5-10 minutes to arrange the Lunar Duo. That mentioned, it should by no means be fairly as fast and simple as pitching a typical freestanding tent.

Non-freestanding tents just like the Duo can be trickier to arrange when the bottom is just too laborious for tent stakes or is so mushy (suppose sand) that tent stakes received’t maintain. In conditions like this you’ll must get artistic with logs, rocks, or different objects to assist tie down your shelter. In the long run, with a non-freestanding tent just like the Lunar Duo you’ll typically spend a bit extra time in camp perfecting the pitch of your tent, however your pack will really feel lighter all day lengthy on the path.

CONDENSATION – A basic con of single-wall tents is that they don’t have a mesh barrier to separate the hikers inside from the rain fly. Which means you could possibly probably have condensation droplets on the within of the tent in chilly, humid circumstances. When this occurs, it’s uncomfortable to rub in opposition to the inside of the rainfly, which is able to really feel chilly and moist. On the uncommon event it’s obligatory, we use a small PackTowl to rigorously wipe down the within of the fly.

In our expertise, the Lunar Duo performs higher than most single-wall tents so far as inside condensation goes due to its wonderful air flow. It additionally has extra headspace than your common tent, so it’s much less doubtless that your head or the foot of your sleeping bag will make contact with the rainfly.

REQUIRES BIGGER CAMPSITES – We love the Lunar Duo’s spacious inside and outsized vestibules, however the draw back is that you just’ll want a much bigger space to pitch the tent. Sometimes, we’ve needed to move up smaller campsites in search of an acceptable place to pitch the Lunar Duo, however that’s hardly ever a difficulty.

BOTTOM LINE

For those who’re searching for a roomy, ultralight shelter at an exceptionally inexpensive worth, there are few tents that evaluate to the Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo.

Although there are inherent downsides with any non-freestanding tent – a bit more durable to pitch and condensation administration – we usually really feel that the advantages of the Duo closely outweigh the cons.

It’s robust to search out backpacking tents that strike such a terrific stability between weight, inside area, and worth just like the Lunar Duo. As well as, this tent is extra sturdy than many ultralight tents, so you possibly can depend on it to final for years of journey.

We predict the Lunar Duo is a wonderful alternative for backpacking pairs, which is why it’s featured on our lists of the Greatest Backpacking Tents and Greatest Ultralight Tents.

MORE INFORMATION

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